The “Gridiron Bash” concert series that included Friday’s Kid Rock and Sara Evans performance in Tiger Stadium has been postponed, according to MSL Sports and Entertainment, creator and producer of the event.
MSL said it will postpone Gridiron Bash until this fall or the spring 2009.
LSU Athletic Director Skip Bertman said LSU was “very much worried that student athletes could be involved.” The NCAA prohibits using a student-athlete’s propensity to generate revenue at a commercially-sponsored event.
“What we were worried about was because of the lack of ticket sales, student athletes might be involved,” Bertman said Saturday at LSU’s game vs. Oklahoma State in the Sweet 16. “All of the student athletes were banished from the site. Nobody told us to do that, we were just being preventative.”
For example, LSU athletes are never at a non-game event, giving their autographs when there is paid admission.
“I think of the other 16 sites, trying to sell tickets, the student athletes may have been involved in some way,” Bertman said. “I don’t mean they were going to sing and dance, but maybe, meet so-and-so at the front gates for autographs. I think the NCAA said the risk isn’t work this, because there wasn’t much reward here. We had sold 1,700 tickets, and most schools had sold less.”
An athletic department news release said, “The announcement comes on the heels of an NCAA interpretation of Gridiron Bash relating to student-athlete participation and the change this would cause in the format of the events at the 16 participating universities nationwide.”
With the exception of three schools, including LSU, all Gridiron Bash events were scheduled for April 18, the evening before spring games.
The Friday evening events were designed to kick off the 2008 football season. The event revolved around a fan competition with the winning school receiving $1 million for its general scholarship fund, a pep rally with the football team and coach and live musical entertainment.
Refunds for tickets already purchased will be issued through LSU box offices and www.gridironbash.com. Any text votes that have been placed in association with the fan competition will not be billed.
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